EPA to regulate toxic chemicals in drinking water

Link

The Environmental Protection Agency took steps Wednesday to curb toxic substances in drinking water, including perchlorate, a chemical thought to threaten the thyroid gland that has contaminated hundreds of public water wells, mostly in California. 

The agency also moved to set standards for 16 other substances that can invade water supplies and impair human health. 

Perchlorate, a remnant of California's manufacturing, aerospace and military bases, can inhibit thyroid hormoneproduction, especially in fetuses and infants. That can lead to lower IQs and developmental delays, studies have shown. 

Research by the Food and Drug Administration, among others, found perchlorate contamination in food and water in 45 states, and a small study in the Boston area found perchlorate in the breast milk of nursing mothers.